DON'T FEEL THE BURN

Sleepaway summer camp means long happy days in the sun brimming with swimming, boating, hiking, rope courses and lots of other outdoor recreation.

In all the excitement of packing up and heading off to camp, don’t forget to address the all-important issue of protection from the sun.

Whenever kids are outdoors, they need protection from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, even on cloudy days. While we all need some sunlight …

… an important source of vitamin D, it’s been found that just a couple of serious sunburns can drastically increase the risk of skin cancer, including deadly melanomas, later in life.

THE RIGHT STUFF

Be sure to pack the right kind of sunscreen for camp, preferably at least 30 SPF and water proof or water resistant.

Water-resistant labels now list how long the sunscreen remains effective in the water, so try to choose one with 80 minutes of protection.

Sticks are easiest to apply to the face, balms coat the lips and sprays make covering arms and legs easy and breezy.

Remind them of those hard-to-remember places like noses, lips, ears, the back of the neck and the tops of the feet.

Be sure they know to apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside and to reapply every two hours or after spending time in the water or sweating a lot.

COVERING UP

Long sleeved shirts from tightly woven fabric provide the best protection, but may not be terribly practical on a hot day.

Special UV clothing can provide more comfortable, lightweight protection from UV rays.

Protective clothing is rated by ultraviolet protection factor (UPF), with a UPF 50+ being the highest rating on the market, blocking about 98 percent of UBA and UBV rays.

Swim shirts, or rash guards, are great for playing in the water and come in a lot of cool and colorful surfer designs.

THE HATS HAVE IT

Hats provide great protection for the face and most kids are happy to don a baseball cap with a cool logo.

Some headgear is available with flaps to protect the neck and ears, but your youngster may be a bit reluctant to wear unusual clothing at camp.

You might be better off just telling your camper to wear a baseball cap and liberally apply sunscreen to the back of the neck.

COOL SHADES

Let your child pick out some cool shatter-proof sunglasses to take along to camp, preferably ones that wrap around and block most UVA and UBV rays.

Research has shown that exposure to UV rays can increase the risk of cataracts later in life.

TALK IT UP

Teach your kids the four S’s of sun protection:

Sun hats

Sun screen

Sun protective shirts

Sun glasses

At most camps, counselors can remind campers to apply sunscreen, but are discouraged from helping with application.

So it’s important to teach your child to do their best with slathering it on and asking for help with hard-to-reach places. Luckily, most kids today have grown up covered in sunscreen in the summer …

… so the only big change is that it will now be one of their new camp responsibilities, and another one of the steps toward independence that sleepawaycamp offers.

Canadian Adventure Camp is a coed overnight summer camp for kids located on a beautiful private island in the Wilderness Lakes region of Temagami.

Founded in 1975, it provides acclaimed programs to children from around the world!

VISIT SITE: http://www.canadianadventurecamp.com/about/about-our-canadian-summer-camp/

CANADIAN ADVENTURE CAMP15 Idleswift DriveThornhill, Ontario, L4J 1K9 Canadainfo@canadianadventurecamp.com